Endocronologist

my (adopted) daughter is on growth hormone therapy. i was completely against it when it was brought up. my theory was: who cares how tall she is. i will not medicate just so she can be a certain height. both my other daughters are short and it never came up with their pediatritian so i was pretty annoyed. BUT: the doctor finally explained it to me completely. it had NOTHING to do with how tall she was or will be. what she explained was that the xray showed her bone age to be 4 and she was almost 7. what that meant was that not only was she not growing visably that we could see, but that she was not growing period. this meant her organs were not growing and that is what was crucial.
i am still very skeptical of doctors and i would ask many, many questions. try to determine if this is necessary for her health or just her vanity.....her organs need to grow.
i do have to give her a shot every night but it is not too bad. other than that, we have had no issues with it. no side effects, no problems.
good luck

Your husband is probably causing a lot of grief because of his own unresolved issues of being shorter... my husband is only 5'3 and he worries about our son being tall or short and is always asking if he is growing... how tall is he this week or how much does he weigh. I would NOT put him on HGH.... has all sorts of issues that go along with it. Just let the kid be!!

Your son's growth could be normal for him considering you and your husband are naturally not tall people. Also, kids grow at different rates. My son used to be in the 5th percentile for height, but two years later, he was in the 14th percentile. Nevertheless, it might ease your mind to get an opinion from a expert.

i don't have direct experience with this, but i do work in an endo lab. don't panic and its really good you're seeing a specialist. they endocrinologist will give you a lot more specific info and don't jump to any conclusions until you meet with this specialist. a general doc can only do so much. go get more info!

My son was diagnosed growth hormone deficient at 18 months after a period of no growth for 6 months. His IGF-1 was low at 12 months then again at 18 months. He had a bone age x-ray done (again 6 month delay) and a stem test (required by insurance). We fought to get our insurance to pay for 7 months, so we began treatment at 2 years of age. It's a nightly shot given in the arm, leg, butt or stomach. Our son is 4 years old now and in the 90% for height and weight.

If your son's labs are showing a deficiency, the endo may recommend the stem test to see exactly how much growth hormone he is producing. It is only released in the body during sleep hence the necessity of the stem test. Plus, most insurance companies require it as growth hormone is very expensive. Your son could also have an IGF-1 deficiency which is slightly different, but would still require shots, I believe.

Overall, it's a horrible experience to get the medicine covered. It's also horrbile for the parent that has to given their child a nightly shot. I have to say, you do get used to it to some degree, but I always dread having to do it every night. We also get a numbing cream we apply to my son about 15 minutes before giving the shot. It seems to work pretty well.

Good luck and respond if you need any more advice.

C.

i do have experience w/ this.
1. HGH is very expensive-40k a year
2. You son must be in the 3%tile or less for a period of time before it will be prescribed.
3. good luck getting insurance to cover it
4. There are 2 growth hormones-and there is a normal range. If you are above or below those levels there are actual health risks involved.
5. pediatricians check differnt growth plates than endocrinologists.

I doubt that after 1 visit the endocrinologist will prescribe growth hormone. Oh, it is also injected nightly. I wonder who you are going to see? My son sees Dr Daniels at CHOC, or Dr Clark. most of their patients an endocrinologist sees are diabetics-just an FYI.

Good Luck---HGH is a big commitment. if your son needs it you will see a change quickly.

You do not "HAVE" to take anything they recommend UNLESS... you do want your son "to grow" more.
AND, sometimes the Doctor will just recommend something because the parents are anxious or demanding something.

IF the Doctor does not see anything "wrong" with your son's development... then I don't think you should worry. As you said, you and your Hubby are not tall people. Every child also goes through varying degrees of growth-spurts etc.

I'm assuming, that at each well-check exam, your son's height/weight was taken and the Doctor didn't find anything wrong with him? But, per your Husband, YOU are the one who brought up his height? So, you have to decide, if this is something REALLY to worry about, or not??????????

We have seen a Pediatric Endocrinologist before for my daughter. But for different reasons. Anyway, if your son's "bone age" is fine, then you should be VERY happy. Then, my understanding is that hormones can fluctuate. Especially in young children. So... ASK if this is a "normal range" to be in... or not???? And ask what IS the NORMAL RANGE for that particular hormone to be in, AND IN COMPARISON, where is your son's level? Or, are they just grabbing at straws to tell you "something" about your son, so that he "can" grow bigger, as your Husband seems to want? Either way, the Doctor should explain this to you explicitly.

Taking growth hormones... is not something to take lightly. Like everything, there are pro's and con's, and side-effects. ASK ABOUT LONG-TERM impacts upon the child, if taking the medication? AND there are many different kinds of growth medications... ask about which one is most harmless, so to speak.

Then, like any child, growth is hereditary and an individual thing. At a young age, there is no way to absolutely predict how large/tall your son will be. Most boys, grow rapidly in middle school. Many boys may start out smallish, but then in the blink of an eye, catch up later.

CAN the Doctor PREDICT your son's future height or the impact of the growth medication?????
AND... is this a "serious" medical problem, or just a cosmetic issue and a personal hope that he is taller???? Or is it just something that your Husband seems to think is a problem? Is your son's height/size a problem for you, personally? So, there has to be a determination, that your son's situation IS INDEED a "TRUE" medical "problem" or not.... and does it 'have to' be treated or not? What is the future prognosis?

If it is not a medical "problem".... and just a hope that he is taller, then I would really consider if you want your son on growth hormones or not, and IF it is REALLY ABSOLUTELY necessary?

All the best,
Susan

go to the nearest health store that carries Homeopathy Today magazine. there is an artilce in the current issue called "the sky is the limit" read it first before you subject your child (and your wallet) to hormone therapy.
Good Luck
V.